Nutrition, Dry Eyes and Macular Degeneration

By Renee Bovelle, MD

Nutritional supplements as a preventative measure are becoming increasingly important in ocular health. Major universities and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) continue to research the benefits of antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids. OmegaMax, from AmeriSciences, is the only omega-3 product approved by NASA for the use by the Astronaut Corps as part of the ongoing joint research under the Space Act Agreement between Amerisciencs and the NASA/ Joint Space Center.
OmegaMax is also incorporated into TOZAL which is a pharmaceutical grade antioxidant and fish oil based nutraceutical. TOZAL was developed from a clinical study on new treatment for Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Poor nutrition and free radicals contribute to cell damage in the eyes and throughout the entire body. Free radicals are unstable byproducts of oxygen metabolism. The anti-oxidants in TOZAL have been proven to neutralize free radicals. The omega 3 fatty acids blunt the harmful effects of inflammation in the body. This may help preserve ocular health by minimizing the effects of macular degeneration and dysfunctional tear syndrome.
AMD is a progressive disorder associated with central vision loss and is a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in people over age 60.
Although there is no cure for macular degeneration, the TOZAL study found that more than half (57%) of the subjects improved an average of one-half line (eye chart line) of visual acuity at six months and another 20% were stabilized. At the same time, patients on the AREDS based treatment continued to lose approximately 1.5 lines of vision. TOZAL was shown to be far superior to the conventional standard of care (AREDS).
Dysfunctional tear syndrome, also called dry eye, affects over 20 million people in the United States. The incidence increases with age and with contact lens use. It can cause symptoms from occasional discomfort to severe impairment of vision. Studies have found that certain combinations of vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids tend to decrease inflammation caused by dry eye and improve tear gland secretions. TOZAL is one of these nutritional supplements.
Fish consumption, such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel, can be helpful in adding omega-3 to diet. However, one must be careful not to consume fish that contains mercury. To protect against mercury poisoning, the fish oil product provided through our practice (AmeriSciences OmegaMax) is made from small feeder fish and is molecularly distilled to guarantee purity and safety.
With judicious use of advanced-formula ocular lubricants, topical cyclosporine, in addition to oral nutritional supplements, like TOZAL many patients have regained the comfort and vision they had lost to dry eye.